Top 10 external hard drives

The external hard drive cannot be as fast as the built-in models, but it is a great backup tool and easy to install. Here are the top 10 external hard drives voted by PC World, based on price and technology criteria.

1. Apricorn EZ Bus Desktop SATA

This fast and cheap hard drive comes with 3 backup, file copy and encryption utilities

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-300, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 8

Each GB costs: 0.35 USD

Price: 175 USD

2. LaCie d2 Quadra

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-150, USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 16

Each GB costs: 0.44 USD

Price: 220 USD

With a slightly higher price, you get the flexibility of USB, SATA, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 data interfaces.

3. Iomega 500GB ESATA / USB 2.0 Black Series

If you need a fast, affordable external hard drive, this is a good option.

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-150, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 8

Each GB costs: 0.5 USD

Price: 250 USD

4. Western Digital MyBook Premium ES Edition

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-300, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 16

Each GB costs: 0.36 USD

Price: 180 USD

This model has a nice design, but is slower than other popular 500GB SATA drives.

5. Western Digital My Book Pro Edition

The external hard drive on these 3 interfaces looks pretty good, but its performance is not really outstanding.

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 16

Each GB costs: 0.46 USD

Price: 230 USD

6. Seagate FreeAgent Pro

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-300, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 16

Each GB costs: 0.45 USD

Price: 340 USD

Eye-catching design plus useful multi-purpose software makes the difference of FreeAgent Pro.

7. Apricorn EZ Bus Desktop

Fast and cheap, eSATA desktop drive comes with basic backup, encryption and drive capture software.

Capacity (GB): 250

Supported interfaces: External SATA-300, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 8

Each GB costs: 0.48 USD

Price: 119 USD

8. WiebeTech SilverSata I

Capacity (GB): 500

Supported interfaces: External SATA-300, USB 2.0

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 8

Each GB costs: 0.68 USD

Price: 338 USD

High speed, this eSATA drive is placed in a well-designed case, removable disc tray and a plastic key to lock the internal components.

9. Seagate External Push-Button Backup 400GB

Quite cumbersome, poor performance compared to most external hard drives, but in return it comes with backup software and is cheap.

Capacity (GB): 400

Supported interfaces: USB 2.0, FireWire 400

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 8

Each GB costs: 0.88 USD

Software included: CMS BounceBack Express

Price: 350 USD

10. Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo Edition

Capacity (GB): 1500

Supported interfaces: USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400

Speed: (rpm): 7200

Buffer capacity (MB): 16

Each GB costs: 0.53 USD

Software included: CMS BounceBack Express

Price: 800 USD

This dual hard drive has a large capacity

* Note : The price in the article is the price at the time of publication.